For A Purpose

The Pretty Mosquito

For the first time ever, I caught a pretty-looking mosquito!

Yes, you got that right. And take note – I said I “caught” a pretty-looking mosquito. I did not use the usual words, like, “squashed” or “killed”.

I even have proper proof to display it on my blog. Aha, PROOF!

And, I also have a story to tell.

It’s not a common occurrence that you manage to “catch” a mosquito – an exquisite-looking one, especially. But what slight chance would you have of actually catching one without squashing or smashing it with the palm of your hand? Well, here’s my story then.

While I was reading a book, a hideous-looking (that was at first sight, of course) bug-thingy landed on the page I was reading. I gasped. Oh golly, a mosquito! Instinctively, I raised my hand with a sudden surge of energy and did just one thing I thought was sensible…

SMACK!

A mean smile spread across my face. (I seldom get the chance to kill mosquitoes, mind you.) Raising my palm triumphantly, I was eager to see the squash-to-pulp remains of the squeaky mosquito. Unfortunately, I found it was still half-alive! Its frail legs (if you permit me to actually refer them as, “legs”…) were kicking a little. Then here comes the unbelievable part.

I stared at the mosquito. Then I started to admire its shiny-green-metallic sort of shell. Sorry, I’m not a mosquito person, so you don’t expect me to use proper terms to describe it. Can you believe it, for the first time in my life, I actually admired a mosquito! But this particular mosquito looked pretty to me. And of course, it didn’t die because I was meant to take a portrait of it before its most memorable death! (Forgive me if I sound mean, but really, it’s a mosquito, for goodness sake.)

Glad for another unexpected photo-snapping opportunity, I started snapping with my camera. I like the one when the mosquito was on my hand. After the “photo shoot”, I decided to try reviving the poor mosquito. I blew on it. And guess what? It actually fluttered its wings and flew! Yeah, you must be thinking I’ve gone mad to have not smacked the mosquito harder. So it’s probably somewhere stabbing and sucking someone’s blood now.

Mind my nail, haha.

I posted the this on my Flickr page, and a friend commented: You are really doing the world record in macros with that camera! :)

Oh well, everyone needs a life, I guess. And mosquitoes don’t deserve to be squashed like a nobody, you know…

Haha, I was just kidding laa! AND, I made up happy-ending part of the story, where I said the mosquito flew away when I blew on it. If that really happened, it would have been a spectacular miracle. Anyway, the truth is, after the “photo shoot”, I really couldn’t resist the urge to squash it already la…

So I squished it anyhow – with much pleasure. ;P